The 10 most powerful food people in America

Michele Borboa, MS is a freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, food, lifestyle, and pets. Michele is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, cookbook author, and pet-lover based in Bozeman, Montana. She is also...

Most powerful names in food industry

Who do you think are the most powerful food people in America? We were surprised by TheDailyMeal.com’s list – Emeril didn’t cut it, we’d never heard of some of the “big names”, and, though we may think celeb chefs and cookbook authors are the authorities in food, it turns out there are quite a few other people who have a huge influence on our America diets. Here are the 10 most powerful food folk in America, according to TheDailyMeal.com.

Alice Waters

Chef-Restaurateur and Activist

Just who we were hoping dominated the list, Alice Waters is most certainly a visionary in the food world. Waters is renowned for introducing a whole generation of Americans to the very notion of organic and locally sourced food, with her Edible Schoolyard and School Lunch Initiative programs to improve childhood nutrition, and her Chez Panisse Foundation, which uses food to "teach, nurture, and empower young people." She supports the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, and was largely responsible for encouraging Michelle Obama to create a White House garden. Kudos Alice Waters – we love you.